


Moments

by hybryd0



Series: the brothers lilo [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Gen, hints at Lirry, lilo as brothers, short thing from what i hope to be a longer story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-09
Updated: 2014-01-09
Packaged: 2018-01-08 03:22:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1127758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hybryd0/pseuds/hybryd0
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis has never quite gotten over Liam being really ill when they were young.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Moments

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little ficlet from a verse that I hope to write a much bigger story for once I can actually plot out the details. I'm not entirely sure what this is, it just kind of happened. Longer fic will be Lirry/Nouis.

All it takes is a sneeze. He hears the thump of Louis rolling off his bed and then his door flies open. Liam sighs and sits up to give his brother a talking to for ignoring his privacy (again), but before he can even say anything Louis has the back of his hand pressed to Liam’s forehead.

“Lou, what--?”

“You feel a bit warm,” Louis cuts him off and Liam’s mouth snaps shut at the concern on Louis’s face.

Louis has always been the type of older brother to pick on Liam almost relentlessly. He’s made a fool of Liam more times than he cares to count (most notably at school) and there’s no one who can cut to the quick as fast as Louis can. But there are some things that bring out the softer side of Louis and one of those things just happens to be Liam’s health.

“It was just a sneeze, Louis. Bit of dust or something just got to me,” Liam says, offering Louis a smile in hopes it eases his worry.

They were both still really young the last time Liam was terribly ill, but Liam thinks it still must have hit Louis hard. Their mum says at some point Louis will probably grow out of it, but they’re sixteen and eighteen respectively and Louis still turns into the biggest mother hen at the first sign of illness. Or in some cases simply perceived illness.

“Let’s just take your temperature,” Louis says, disappearing out of the room before Liam can protest.

Liam sighs because he knows all he can do now is go along with Louis and let his brother assure himself that Liam isn’t sick. He’s sure how much of a fight Liam puts up is one of the ways Louis judges if he’s really sick or not. The sicker he is the more he’ll protest that he’s not sick at all unlike at the moment where he just let’s Louis put the thermometer in his mouth and waits patiently for it to beep.

“You haven’t been taking care of yourself, have you?” Louis says, of course taking advantage of Liam’s inability to defend himself at the moment.

Liam rolls his eyes. They both know that Liam takes his health very seriously, but Louis has a habit of saying things like that when he’s worried. And all Liam has to do is sniffle and Louis is worried.

“You been snogging that Harry kid? If he’s gotten you sick I’ll kick him in the balls so hard--.”

Liam yanks the thermometer out of his mouth, “You’ll do no such thing.”

“Liam, you took that out too early,” Louis says, clearly exasperated and not paying attention to what Liam is saying at all.

“Louis,” Liam groans. He bites his lip and debates just how much of a weakness to show Louis, because Louis is like a predator when he senses it; always goes in for the kill. “Promise me you’ll stay away from Harry.”

Louis resets the thermometer and holds it out for Liam to take again. He growls in frustration when Liam just stares at him, not trying to stare him down obviously because Liam has never won that battle, but he’s very good at being a stubborn brat (Louis’s words of course). Of course, the problem is they’re both stubborn, which has led to many an awful battle of wills.

But Liam is determined to win this one. Harry is one of the few friends he’s got at school, one of the few lads that doesn’t bully him, and he’s not about to let his brother scare him off. Not when Louis is so much of the reason why the other boys bully Liam, not that Liam will ever tell him that.

“Fine, I promise I won’t kick him in the balls. Now put this back in your mouth,” Louis says, and it’s maybe not exactly what Liam was hoping for, but it’s probably as close as he can hope to get.

Liam takes the thermometer and puts it back in his mouth, this time keeping it there until it beeps. Louis snatches it away and eyes the results carefully, but he visibly relaxes, which means Liam can relax too. There’s a moment there, like there is after all of Louis’s little panicky moments, where Louis’s guard is down, blue eyes soft and warm. 

It’s that moment when Liam almost tells Louis everything; about the bullies who make Liam’s life a living hell, how they ruined the white Star Wars shirt Louis got for him for his birthday by shoving his food tray into his face. Lunch had been spaghetti and the violently orange sauce had stained the shirt beyond saving.

More than that, he almost tells Louis how much Harry means to him even though he doesn’t have the balls to do anything about it.

But the moment passes and Louis takes a second to ruffle his hair affectionately before leaving the room. Liam stares after him for a moment, wishing that it didn’t take those moments of fear that Liam is sick for Louis to show he cares. Liam knows he cares all of the time, of course he does, they’re brothers and nothing will ever change that, but they’re not quite as close as they were when they were younger and he just misses it. He wonders if any part of Louis misses it too.


End file.
